Pear juice found to ward off hangovers

The pear has been touted as a hangover cure by scientists in Australia who claim the fruit not only helps to lower cholesterol but can prevent the adverse affects of excessive alcohol.

Asian pears

Research by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, found that drinking pear juice before alcohol can help ward off a hangover by lowering blood alcohol levels.

Funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia, the study sought to uncover the hidden benefits of drinking the juice of Korean, or Asian, pears, with scientists describing the fruit’s effect on those who had consumed alcohol to be surprising.

Its success was measured by taking into account 14 common symptoms of a hangover, with the effects “significantly reduced” in participants who had consumed pear juice prior to drinking alcohol.

“It appears that the factors in Korean pears act on the key enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) to speed up alcohol metabolism and elimination or inhibition of alcohol absorption,” explained professor Manny Noakes, who led the study.

“In particular, reductions were seen in blood acetaldehyde levels, the toxic metabolic thought to be responsible for the hangover symptoms, with pear juice consumption.”

To be effective, one would need to drink around 200ml of pear juice before alcohol consumption. The fruit was also been found to “lower cholesterol, relieve constipation and hold anti-inflammatory properties.

While the study only researched the Korean, or Asian pear, scientists plan to see if other pear varieties could offer similar benefits.